Epics and their sanctity.

The purpose of this blog is threefold. To articulate the spate of recent tight matches, what it takes to architect them and why on-court coaching may debilitate them:

Its been an week full of adrenaline gushing fight-backs and stellar displays of mental courage. Amelie Mauresmo after having the doors of the Championships almost slammed on her face by Petrova in her very first match rallied with the finesse she has displayed all year to beat Henin Hardene and then Clijsters and make it to the finals. Few would have seen that coming. As it turned out Justine avenged not just the early round loss but also the Grand Slam Finals beating she had received from Mauresmo earlier in the year. Federer, the man with the magic hat, pulled out yet another rabbit when he saved 3 match points to take the last 2 sets and beat Roddick. Note that Roddick, arguably the best serve in the business, was serving with a first serve percentage of 85% for the first two sets. Ljubicic came back after Nalbandian was serving at 5-4 and 30-30 in the second to win in three sets.

There are so many of these in just one week that its easy and I daresay even pardonable to overlook the level of intensity, focus and determination that go behind building these masterpieces. I, now having played this game consistently for little over a year, refuse to cast just a cursory glance. I know the feeling when you are a set down and facing match point. Its then or never. Period. The pressure is immense and the tightening of muscles, inconspicuous and fatal. Somewhere deep inside the brain some neurons connect and determine the choice between an immaculate shot to save match point or a dud buried in the net. This has as much to do with natural ability as it has to do with conscious effort. To rally from that very brink of defeat and display the awe inspiring level of tennis point after point is to me the ultimate culmination of a champion of the sport and of the mind. Federer is just that and that's why he deserves the adulation he is showered with. Don't even get me started on the humility to top that greatness, that's a whole new blog.

This is precisely why I don't believe in on-court coaching. Let not the support crew violate the sanctity of the arena. Let the court belong only to the players. At least for those few minutes let the battle be between two warriors and not two armies. Let the duel stay between two adversaries with one mind and one talent each( forgive the shameless quantification of abstract entities) for only then shall the victor be truly great and the tryst truly epic.